Wisdom of the Moon
by SomeoneI'mSure
Summary: StarClan is weakening; lights are flickering out in the night sky. A prophecy is sent to a warrior of WindClan, foretelling the birth of three kits born of shadow that would be able to restore the light into the night sky . But what can a ruthless queen, a nervous warrior, and a dreamless medicine cat do that even the Power of Three couldn't?
1. Chapter 1 - WindClan

**WindClan**

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The birds twittered softly as they perched on the tree branches in the early morning sunlight, the rustling of leaves and creaking of branches occasionally swallowing up the sound. Waves lapped at the lake shore, drawing tide lines in the muddy sand.

A dark gray apprentice frowned at the distant Horseplace, taking in the sight with a slight trepidation. Beside him, WindClan's deputy crouched in the grass, patiently waiting.

"I smell some kind of animal," Stonepaw slowly said, his real attention on the corner of his eye. "I think it's a horse." The deputy didn't comment, watching the dark gray apprentice silently. Stonepaw tried again. "I smell mice, and I think a cat."

The deputy gave a nod, his own eyes scoring their surroundings and, absentmindedly, Stonepaw did the same. Open moorlands stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see, the tall grasses making the deputy's tabby coat disappear. Stonepaw envied it, his own solid gray coat sticking out among the light brown stalks. _I'm lucky if prey think I'm just a boulder. _He always held himself very still, even before his apprentice ceremony, not even allowing his tail to twitch out of worry that prey would notice he wasn't a boulder and run away. He had wanted to be in the habit when he was young so he would be that much closer to being a warrior.

His first day as an apprentice could have gone better. Swiftstrike had him running drills and learning basic fighting techniques which, though Stonepaw had been excited for, he had found to be far more difficult than he imagined. The WindClan deputy was strict and firm when it came to making sure his apprentice was more than ready to survive a fox, if it really came down to it. When other apprentices went out for their first patrol and practiced their hunting, Stonepaw was learning how to leap onto the back of his mentor and pin him to the ground.

Even though all the other apprentices were openly admiring him for being the apprentice of the deputy, Stonepaw couldn't bring himself to think of himself as deputy's apprentice material. All the training was tough, and he didn't look much like a deputy's apprentice either, and if he groomed himself to give himself that sleek warrior look he found himself looking more like a RiverClan cat than a WindClan apprentice. It unsettled him.

Today, his fifth day as an apprentice, was border patrol day. Stonepaw's paws ached from running up and down the moors, and muscles he hadn't even known about ached from pushing aside the grass and forcing himself to remain as low to ground as possible. But it could have been worse. He had heard that Whiskerpaw had fallen into a mouse hole on her first trip out, and Cloudpaw had made so much noise going through a thicket that she had scared away all the prey for whole cat-lengths! Stonepaw was being extra careful on his first patrol, dodging around every suspicious looking shallow area and too think area of grass. Once, when he did run into a thicket, he pushed silently as possible underneath it and through it. The huge success made his fur glow with pride and when he looked at his mentor, he was embarrassed to find amusement there. Of course the warrior would find his efforts so amusing! It was probably ridiculous to him, since he was so skilled.

The deputy flicked an ear. "Is that everything?" he asked neutrally.

Stonepaw nodded respectfully, mindful of the silence.

Swiftstrike was pleased. "Good," he said, slinking through the grass until he almost disappeared. Alarmed that he might not be able to track his mentor just yet, especially since he had no hunting training, Stonepaw padded quickly after him.

Tracking prey and enemies by scent had been the first thing every apprentice was taught, Stonepaw doubly so. With all the new scents of heather and dandelion, Stonepaw didn't think his nose could penetrate the smells and find his mentor's scent amongst the territory. He hoped it would get better the more his training progressed; everything little sound was making him twitchy, and suppressing the urge to jump was getting harder and harder to do.

Opening his jaws slightly and curling his nose at the overpowering smells, he attempted to track Swiftstrike's scent. While his instincts wanted him to follow the rippling waves of grass with his eyes, training kept his nose to the grass and body low as he pushed through. The disorienting smells and sights made him forget what his mentor had tried to teach him for the last five days. Around any bush or thicket there could be some strange animal he had only heard of before, and kept forgetting to try and find landmarks amongst the tall grass.

Walls of green grass and the purple-flowered heather parted before him before rustling slightly back into place. Stonepaw crept silently through the moorlands, listening to the chirping frogs that hid beneath the grasses and the tall-tale rustle of a fieldmouse poking through the leaves for its evening meal. Stonepaw felt a rush of pride as he passed silently beyond the mouse's hiding place, never once disturbing the creature.

He was at the base of the hill when he finally caught up to Swiftstrike, who was already the border near the Horseplace. Stonepaw stuck his nose out of the grass to sniff, catching a sharp wiff of the breeze and more smells, but he realized he was already starting to get used to them. He looked expectantly at his mentor, who merely gestured with his tail for the smaller tom to follow as they headed up the border back to the lake.

"If the Horseplace wasn't here, I'd show you what a RiverClan cat smelled like," Swiftstrike said. "But fortunately – or unfortunately depending on who you ask – Horseplace _is_ the border between us and RiverClan. It's as much protection as it is a threat to us. Horses can be dangerous if they escape. One kick could send a cat flying, and that's one fall you won't be able to land on your feet from. You'd be dead before we even dragged your body back to camp."

Stonepaw glanced back over his shoulder at the distant creatures, imagining himself standing right next to one and then shuddered. He hoped foxes and badgers weren't that big. "Are they really that dangerous?" he asked.

Swiftstrike snorted, amused. "Only when startled. Otherwise, they'll just eat us out of grass and heather."

Stonepaw purred in amusement, growing silent as they passed the twoleg house. It was empty of twolegs, but Stonepaw caught the distinct smell of cat. "Who are they?" he asked, the moment they got in sight of the house's entrance. It was very far away, too far away from anyone inside to see the two Clan cats stalking through the grass towards the Lake.

"Kittypets," Swiftstrike said with a sniff of derision, before amending, "or loners. Either way, if they don't bother us, then we don't bother them."

He quickened his pace and Stonepaw hurried up, wondering for a brief moment if Swiftstrike wanted to get away from the loners as soon as possible. He caste a quick glance towards the barn. A flash of black fur disappeared into the barn, and he wondered if it was a cat or something else. He looked back towards his mentor only to realize he'd fallen a bit behind. He raced to catch up, and was panting slightly when he finally made it to the edge of lake shore. They stopped to mark the borders, and Stonepaw made a face as a stale foresty smell hit his nose.

"Who is that?" Stonepaw wondered, looking over towards the source of the smell in disdain. He could barely see the mouth of the stream which marked the border between WindClan and ThunderClan, with trees stretching high over head on one side and a few patches of trees on the other. He looked over at his mentor, who had started to lap up the water by the lake's edge. Realizing that the deputy hadn't heard him, he padded up to stand beside the tom. "Is that smell ThunderClan?"

The tabby lifted his head and sniffed the wind, giving a short nod. "Correct. Though it's a bit stronger than it should be," he said, mostly to himself. "A cat must have passed by in the last day or so."

"Should we be worried?" Stonepaw wondered, looking back up the border towards where he thought RiverClan lay. "They might be making an alliance with RiverClan."

Swiftstrike wondered about that for a moment, before finally shaking his head. "We shouldn't worry. ThunderClan has always been more generous in helping the other Clans. It might have been a Medicine Cat, and even if that's not the case, it will be RiverClan's responsibility to drive them away."

"Then we could stage an ambush here for when the cat returns," Stonepaw pointed out, excitement tingling his paws as he glanced around for the perfect spot to create an ambush. "We could hide in the heather and no cat would be any wiser."

"No," Swiftstrike said firmly, stepping away from the water and slinking across the WindClan border. His tail twitched in a silent command for Stonepaw to follow, and they both returned to navigating the border as Swiftstrike continued. "A Medicine Cat's business is not a Clan's business. While warriors must take care of their own Clan, a Medicine Cat must remain outside of normal Clan rivalries and help all cats in need of their aid. They are protected by StarClan on whatever journey they might be on, and we must respect that of them."

Stonepaw gave a solemn nod, cursing himself for forgetting that. "So, we should never attack a Medicine Cat?" he asked.

"Avoid it unless absolutely necessary," Swiftstrike amended. "In a fight, some Medicine Cats might very well try to defend their clan like a warrior would. In this case, we must defend ourselves and sometimes that means the loss of a Medicine Cat's life." He sighed, adding thoughtfully. "It's strange. Some Medicine Cats give up the life of a warrior to save lives instead of hurt them."

Stonepaw nodded, looking back over WindClan territory. "Are we ever going to explore the territory?" he asked.

"When I begin training you to hunt and not a moment sooner," the deputy assured him with a smile. "Have patience, Stonepaw. A warrior must master patience if he's ever to become a good fighter or even a good hunter."

Stonepaw nodded enthusiastically. "I will, I will!" he meowed, bouncing on his paws slightly before remembering that he was in dangerous territory. Swiftstrike's whiskers twitched in amusement.

They made it back to camp around sunset, and Swiftstike immediately gestured Stonepaw to the fresh-kill pile. Tired but not bone-weary, Stonepaw picked up a rabbit and headed over to the center of camp, unafraid of the hot dry sun beating down on his fur.

He was soon joined by Cloudpaw and Whiskerpaw, both looking tired after their first day of battle practice. Stonepaw couldn't help the smug look that spread over his face as he looked one bone-weary apprentice up and the other down. At least he wasn't the only one who had difficulty with their first battle practice. "Need a rabbit," he purred, showing off his barely touched meal. Rabbits were too big for one apprentice to have by themselves, and that was doubly so for the smaller WindClan cats.

His sister gave an amused rumble as she mock-temperedly grabbed the rabbit and began to chew it up. Cloudpaw took a more dainty approach, settling down beside her best friend to pick at her half of the rabbit. Pretty soon, they had finished it off, leaving Stonepaw to crunch up the bones and slurp out the marrow.

"So," Whiskerpaw began, stretching her limbs and laying out on the dusty ground. "How was border patrol?"

"Exhausting," Stonepaw deadpanned, earning an amused paw swipe from his sister. "How was battle practice?"

"_Tiring_," Whiskerpaw huffed, earning a rumbling purr from Cloudpaw. "Blazeflash pushed us so hard it felt like my paws were gonna fall off!" She licked a paw delicately to demonstrate, dramatically letting it sag and putting on a horrified expression.

Stonepaw chuckled quietly, turning to Cloudpaw. "How did you like it, Cloudpaw?"

Cloudpaw looked momentarily startled, shifting uncomfortably on her paws as both cats looked at her. "Uhm, I did okay," she meowed, embarrassed.

"I can't wait to go up against you," Whiskerpaw exclaimed to Stonepaw, rumbling in a purr. "I'll show you just how tough I am in a fight!"

Stonepaw grinned, his body tensing in preparation for a play fight. "You're on, sister!_ Raawwr_!"

Stonepaw gave a mock lunge, paws splayed and arms extended as he fell towards her. Knowing she had plenty of time to roll away, Whiskerpaw tensed and jumped back, landing perfectly balanced on her haunches with her back straight and paws extended.

"Rawr! I'mma bear!" she rumbled in her mock grr face, then darted off as Stonepaw finished his long drawn out fall and darted for her. They happily shot around the Tallrock, chasing after each other until finally Whiskerpaw stopped and whipped around, catching Stonepaw by surprise and causing him to bowl into her. They struck the gorse bush, earning a deep rumble from within as the medicine cat showed his disapproval.

"Hey!" the old tom snarled. "Don't try and uproot my den!"

"Sorry, Featherbreeze!" they coursed, before darting away in case he changed his mind.

The rabbit carcass had already disappeared when they got back, where Cloudpaw had been delicately licking her paws before she heard Featherbreeze's reprimand. She gave her two friends a light glare, though both siblings knew she was laughing on the inside.

"And what," she mock scolded, "have I told you two apprentices about bothering the medicine cat?"

Whiskerpaw laughed as Stonepaw made a sharp bow, face aghast as he pretended to quote Cloudpaw. "Don't every bother the old cat or else we'll have our tails chopped off and fed to the frogs!"

Cloudpaw gave a very serious and exaggerated nod, fluffing out her chest and commanding in a very good impression of Breezestar's voice. "Then, for your crimes, you must therefore be punished." She made a chopping motion with her paw and mock-glared at Stonepaw's tail, as if she could chop it off from will alone. Whiskerpaw burst into fits and giggles, while Stonepaw gave a mock-moan.

"Alas, my tail!" he cried, rolling on his back. "I submit, oh, Cloudstar! Have mercy on your warriors!" he cried.

Cloudpaw burst into laughter, which vainly tried to stifle. Whiskerpaw didn't even try, laughing her tail off as Stonepaw grinned lopsidedly on his back in the goofiest position they'd ever seen.

When the laughter finally died down, the sun had set and tiredness had seeped into the three young cat's bones, even though their minds were still very much wide awake. A few warriors had already retired, and their sleeping forms breathed softly in the center of the clearing, watching by the moon and the whole of Silverpelt. After his stressful first day on the border patrol, Stonepaw felt the peaceful atmosphere start to drag at his eyelids but a probing paw in his side made his glare mutely at his sister.

"Well," Whiskerpaw started, amused, "how was patrol?"

Stonepaw rolled his eyes as he settled down, wrapping his tail around his paws and hoping it made him look more experienced and sophisticated as he thought about what to say. Whiskerpaw had a tendency to ask the same question over and over again and she was never satisfied until it was thoroughly answered. Stonepaw always preferred to think about what to say before saying it, deliberating over his words in hopes that it would make him sound like a senior warrior. "Well, while we were at the southern border, I smelled ThunderClan on the neutral territory."

"What? Really?" the grey she-cat asked, ears perking up. "How many? Did you see them?"

He shook his head. "It was an old and stale scent, and there was only one as far as Swiftstrike and I could tell." He paused, watching the disappointment fall over his friend's faces. "But I did see one of the loners in the Horseplace."

Whiskerpaw immediately perked up. "How big was he? Was he covered in scars? What color was his pelt?"

Cloudpaw's ear flicked. "It could have been a she," she murmured, startling Stonepaw.

The grey she-cat rolled her eyes. "Okay, how big was _she_?"

Stonepaw rumbled in amusement. "I only saw a flash of its pelt as it moved inside the Twoleg nest. It was black and sleek looking, well-fed from my guess."

Whiskerpaw snorted. "No surprise there. They get plenty of twoleg slop from those stupid bowls Twolegs give them. Once a kittypet, always a kittypet."

Stonepaw flicked an ear at his sister in agreement, while Cloudpaw said. "There haven't been twolegs up there in forever, so they can't be kittypets. They have to be loners."

"Yes, but they once _were_ kittypets."

"You don't know that."

Stonepaw interjected. "Didn't Rainstorm say that twolegs hadn't been there for generations?"

Cloudpaw gave a nod while Whiskerpaw sputtered. "Yeah, well."

"So they have to be loners," Stonepaw decided matter-of-fact. "With kittypet blood."

"Right," Whiskerpaw agreed. Cloudpaw nodded in acceptance of the fact.

"That can hunt prey," Stonepaw pointed out with a cheeky grin, earning an annoyed ear-flick from his sister.

"Fine, whatever," Whiskerpaw admitted. "I still say, Once a Kittypet, Always a Kittypet."

"_Everyone_ says that."

Cloudpaw frowned. "Just because everyone says it doesn't make it true."

Whiskerpaw made a feint swipe at Cloudpaw's ear, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Fine, fine."

The three apprentices were growing more and more tired. Cloudpaw was crouched down with her tail curled up, seated in the moss covered center of the camp where WindClan usually slept together. While elders and the Medicine Cat usually had their own dens, the rest of the Clan slept beneath the Tallrock in the center of the clearing.

Whiskerpaw curled up beside Cloudpaw while Stonepaw curled up on his sister's side. Whiskerpaw looked at her brother when he shifted a bit too much on the moss, and he returned her look with a playful wink as he wrapped his tail around her body, the tip brushing against Cloudpaw's fur. His face wrinkled in a grin. "I has trapped you, har har."

His sister rolled her eyes and settled back down to sleep, ignoring Stonepaw's and closing her eyes. Stonepaw did the same in hopes of drifting off to sleep.

Sleep was not always forthcoming to Stonepaw, not since had first became an apprentice one week ago. It would be two more weeks until the next gathering and, while Stonepaw hoped that he'd be picked for it, he worried he wouldn't be good enough for anything. Even though they were the only three apprentices in the whole of WindClan, he knew that there was a slight possibility that one of them might get left behind and he prayed to StarClan that that cat wasn't going to be him, even if it meant Cloudpaw or Whiskerpaw had to stay behind.

His heart ached every time he thought about going when they had to stay. It didn't seem fair for one to stay and two to go when they had all gotten to know each other so well. Then again, Cloudpaw was a moon older than Stonepaw and it was more than likely that Stonepaw's position as deputy's apprentice would garrantee he would be coming. But the deputy's strange training method had his head swimming in doubt. It didn't make sense that he should go to the gathering when he wasn't getting trained properly. Sure, Swiftstrike was a great mentor and a great warrior, but what in StarClan's name was he thinking?

Then again, the whole Clan trusted the deputy and never once questioned his teaching methods. So, Stonepaw had been trained to fight first and then hunt for the Clan. Whatever. The better protected the Clan was, and in the middle of leaf-green it seemed less damaging to the Clan.

What did Breezestar think of this? It didn't matter what the Clan thought, if Breezestar didn't see that Stonepaw was fit to go to the Gathering, then he wouldn't be going to the Gathering. Period.

Stonepaw knew that the only reason he was doubting himself was because he was worried he'd be going for every other reason except because he had earned it. Stonepaw prayed to StarClan that he was ready, and finally found the peace of mind to slip off into his dreams. He was standing on the edge of the moorland, looking out over the stretch of land between him and the twoleg nest. Black shadows crawled in past the doorway, and red eyes gleaming out from a pure sleek black pelt. The sharp sound of the wind over the grass made him look back over his shoulder towards ThunderClan territory. He blinked in horror as he looked up into the sky, his mouth agape.

All of Silverpelt had gone dark.

Stonepaw shuddered, feeling whiskers touch his cheek but unable to turn his head and see who was standing next to him. A brief imagine of the black cat with the amber eyes flashed through his mind.

"_Shadows will restore the light_."


	2. Chapter 2 - RiverClan

**A/N: I made a lot of changes to this chapter.**** Pebblepaw is now Mistpaw and he acts a little different. Also, Hailfrost has a smaller part.  
**

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**RiverClan**

* * *

Mist sprayed up out of the stream as the light gray tom crouched beside the edge. A bunch of herbs lay beside him, carefully wrapped in broad leaves to keep them from getting wet. His light blue gaze rested on the three apprentices as they practiced their fish catching skills, the brown furred toms and she-cat impatiently waiting for fish to get within range. The last attempt had startled all the fish into disappearing for more than a long moment. Mistpaw found it amusing to watch.

He felt no envy for the other apprentices, even though he had much to be envious of. Anyone of them had two siblings and he had none; and they were training to become warriors when he was not but a medicine cat apprentice with the barest of hunting skills. They had a life many kits grew up envying.

But Mistpaw felt no envy. He knew he was destined to be a medicine cat through and through. His entire being was dedicated to the art, gathering supplies and helping others in other clans – as a Medicine Cat should. Everyone in the Clan knew he was the next one, even though Whitewater, their current medicine cat, was still so young. Mistpaw was okay with this, and his patience earned him that respect.

When the three apprentices gave up and started to bring back to camp their solitary catch, a medium-sized trout that Leopardpaw and Reedpaw landed together, Mistpaw stretched his limbs and gathered up his herbs for his own trip back. He padded through the stream surrounding their island home, walking around the small drinking pool outside the Medicine cat den before slipping inside. The familiar smells of herbs and sight of his mentor made him pause at the entrance, watching the back of his oddly busy mentor as the gray and white cat packed up some herbs.

"What's going on?" he asked, dropping his herbs next the pile and sitting with his tail over his paws. "Are you packing traveling herbs?"

Whitewater's paws moved like a blur in a familiar pattern and Mistpaw recognized the herbs she had piled next to her in three piles. Two were traveling herbs, but one was different.

"Volefang and Redstar are headed to the Moonpool?" he guessed. "And this is for Splashpelt?"

Whitewater nodded mutely, which made Mistpaw frown. "Are you okay, Whitewater?"

The medicine cat's eyes flashed as she had a duplicate pile to the traveling herbs. "I'm going with them."

Excitement prickled his pelt and his eyes widened. "Not that I don't love the idea of taking charge while you're gone, but is something wrong?"

The gray and white cat smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I don't think so."

Mistpaw frowned. Whitewater wouldn't be going if something wasn't wrong, but he knew his mentor well enough to know she wasn't about to divulge that secret. The medicine cat life was filled with secrets between the leader and medicine cat, something no one else could share. Since Mistpaw was so young, neither Redstar or Whitewater had said anything to him about their secrets. "Alright then. Should I take Splashpelt her herbs now or later?"

"Later," Whitewater said dismissively. "She'll survive until a little after sunset." She padded away to the back of the den and poked at the moss. "I would suggest refreshing these before we get back."

"For Splashpelt?"

The she-cat paused. "Yes."

Mistpaw nodded. "Alright."

He watched his mentor in silence, excitement prickling his pelt and paws. It would be first time the entire Clan was left in his paws, as well as an expecting queen. He was confident in his abilities; he had kept his nose buried in the herbs every other day, memorizing all the textures and smells until he could recognize them all with his eyes closed, just like Jayfeather of ThunderClan had done when the cranky blind cat was still alive.

Thinking of Jayfeather reminded him of Firestar. His Clan whispered too much about the legendary leader of another Clan. Mistpaw had gotten so used to the quiet murmurs that he didn't notice it anymore. It was background noise.

Mistpaw's attention snapped back to his mentor as she made an unexpected movement towards the door. "You headed out right now?"

Whitewater purred in amusement. "Yes," she responded, amused. "You can handle yourself while I'm gone, can't you?" she asked, pausing by the door as if half-expecting to say no.

"Of course I can," he purred proudly, his chest puffing out.

His mentor gave her white tipped tail a thoughtful flick before heading out the den entrance and padding across the island like clearing. Mistpaw padded out to the entrance and watched her gray-and-white form disappeared into the reeds surrounding the island before vanishing into RiverClan territory. He watch silently, half-expecting her to come tearing back across the open camp to check up on him. When she didn't, he let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and he turned back towards the supply depot. As if to assure himself that everything was under his command, he began rearranging the den, making it tidier than when she had left. Whitewater had a tendency to not put things back up when she was done with them; well, Mistpaw was more than willing to prove himself by making sure everything was exactly where it was supposed to be when she got back. When that was done, he pulled out all the moss and put in new bedding. Then he settled down to rest, patiently waiting for some cat to come through the entrance.

He lifted his head at the sound of pawsteps near the entrance and was slightly disappointed when it wasn't the white and gray she-cat he had come to know. The head that did appear through the thorn branches was the pure white face and icy-blue stare of the deputy, Hailfrost. The big tom's eyes sparkled as he looked at Mistpaw.

"She finally left you alone to yourself, huh?" the warrior asked, amused.

Mistpaw's disappointed was quickly covered up. "Yes, she did," he said. "Can I help you?"

Hailfrost gave a rumbling purr. "Whitewater said that you'd have some traveling herbs ready for Redstar for his journey to the Moonpool."

"Yes, hang on a moment," he said, turning away to the medicine cat stash.

Redstar had been planning on heading to Highstones after the last warrior ceremony, but they'd been busy keeping their borders secure from possible invasion from the ShadowClan cats. Splashpelt and Volefang had become warriors three moons ago and tradition meant that they had to go to the Moonstones to meet their warrior ancestors for the first time. Normally, they'd have done this within the first moon, but Redstar had held it off after tensions rose with ShadowClan. He wanted to make sure his Clan was safe before he left it to Hailfrost's paws.

Unfortunately, when that time finally came around, Splashpelt was too busy with her swollen belly to go on her first trip, forcing her brother to make the journey on his own. Splashpelt would make the journey in another moon or so, when her kits were born and she was well enough to make the journey. Mistpaw's fur prickled whenever he thought of the day he would have to help Whitewater deliver her kits; excited over the prospect of new lives in Clan.

Mistpaw piled up a new batch of traveling herbs and handed them over to Hailfrost. "Is that all?"

The white tom raised an eyebrow at that, but he took the batches without comment and headed off towards the thicket which housed the leader's den.

It wasn't long afterwards that another head poked its way underneath the medicine cat bush, but Mistpaw recognized the green eyes of his fellow apprentice Leopardpaw. The young tom looked over the medicine cat den before his eyes landed on Mistpaw.

"Whitewater's gone?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes," Mistpaw asserted, his chest fluffing out in pride before checking himself. "Can I help you?"

"No, I'm just surprised that she'd leave you here." The comment made Mistpaw bristle, but he reminded himself that this was Leopardpaw, and he knew his friend well enough to understand that sometimes Leopardpaw just didn't get the nuances of friendship.

"Any reason why you came to visit?" Mistpaw asked, hoping to dispel the awkwardness of the situation.

"Oh," Leopardpaw said, slinking inside the den, his tail sticking out and gleaming spotted gold in the sunlight. "I came to tell you that I'll be needing mouse bile."

When Leopardpaw didn't explain further, Mistpaw shifted on his nest and looked around. "Right, mouse bile." He padded over to the supplies and pulled out mouse-bile soaked moss, which he carefully handed over to Leopardpaw. "Make sure to wash it out of your paws when you're done," he said, cheerfully repeating Whitewater's words for whenever an apprentice came asking around for mouse bile. Leopardpaw came by so many times that it was practically already made before he even walked into the door. Mistpaw never asked him why, though he guessed it had something to do with Mudsplash always getting her tail in a bunch after they were done training. The gray tom _knew_ Leopardpaw was stubborn at times, and he wished he could help to tom but Leopardpaw never wanted any help from any cat.

He marched back over to his nest and lay down.

_At this rate_, he mused to himself, _Splashpelt's going to have her kits before Whitewater gets back!_

The thought reminded him that being in the Medicine den sorting through herbs was only part of a medicine cat's duties. Eager to have something done, he started out of the den and headed towards the nursery, eager to relieve himself of his boredom.

The welcoming darkness and smell of milk brought back nostalgia of his kithood days, and he sighed as he breathed them in. Anxiety prickled his pelt as an image of himself, alone, standing over Splashpelt flashed through his mind, blood soaking the nursery floor. He shuddered, hoping it wasn't a vision. He'd never had a vision before, but it could have been one.

"Splashpelt?" he called, peering through the darkness for the brown-and-white she cat's familiar pelt. "Can I come in?"

A pink tongue shown through the gloom as Splashpelt yawned. "Morning, tom," she greeted him with a purr. "How's the fish flopping?"

Mistpaw purred. "As floppy and as slippery as ever." He stepped toward her and looked over her swollen belly. "I came to check up on you," he meowed.

She snorted. "Medicine cats. They never leave you alone in peace." Her purr betrayed her amusement and the tease washed over Mistpaw, melting away his anxiety and confirming that she was indeed okay.

"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for you?" he asked, amused.

"Not really," she admitted, after some thought. "Though I am tired." She looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head in mild reproach.

"Poppy seeds are harmful to unborn kits," he recited, flicking an ear in apology. He tilted his head in curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

She rumbled, her voice dropping to a secretive whisper while her eyes darted around. "Can I tell you a secret?"

He leaned forward, eagerness tingling his paws but he kept his voice level. "Sure," he meowed.

"I can feel them," she said, her voice calm though he could feel her excitement in the air. Her eyes flashed. "In my belly. They're moving." She erupted into purrs and Mistpaw whiskers twitched.

"That's great!" he purred, excited because she was excited, but he suddenly became more serious. "Do you think they'll be coming soon?"

She nodded. "They'll be coming soon." Mistpaw felt his heart jump in his chest but Splashpelt didn't notice, her face beamed. "I can't wait for the moon to pass and see my kits for the first time!" She failed to see Mistpaw visibly relax.

"I can't wait to see them either," he purred. "New kits for the Clan! And new apprentices!"

Splashpelt nodded enthusiastically. "You'll be happy to have a few more apprentices around, wouldn't you?" she purred.

Mistpaw felt the briefest flash of annoyance, his grin never slipping. "Sure! Then we'll have more warriors for the Clan."

The queen shook her head, decidedly less amused. "Ah, yes, they grow up so fast." She looked thoughtfully at Mistpaw before glancing at her paws.

The young gray tom blinked. "You okay?" he asked, glancing wearily at her belly.

"Oh, just fine!" she said, flustered. She looked thoughtful again and sighed. "They'll be apprentices soon after they're born."

Mistpaw rumbled in confusion but leaned forward and nudged the queen's shoulder gently with his nose. "You'll see them every day," he murmured.

"Right," she meowed firmly to herself, looking at Mistpaw warmly. "And you'll see them in StarClan, won't you?"

Mistpaw nodded, but internally frowned. Splashpelt had a darkness inside of her, something morbid that Mistpaw felt afraid to touch. He mentally shuddered, wondering if something might be seriously wrong with the young queen or if it was natural for queens to be this way.

"Of course," he promised, feeling that he was supposed to promise something. She nodded.

"Great," she breathed.

Mistpaw purred before realizing that he might be needed elsewhere. "I should probably head back to the den. Whitewater might have gotten back by now." He said in way of apology.

"Go ahead," Splashpelt meowed, dismissing him with a distracted flick of her tail.

Bowing his head in thanks, he tried not to seem too rushed as he headed out of the nursery, before racing across the camp to the medicine cat den. He knew the white-and-gray medicine cat hadn't returned but the excuse had been enough. Mistpaw suddenly found himself with little else to do. He padded over to the pool beneath the thorn bush that made up the medicine cat den. He frowned down at the still water at his solid gray pelt and sighed as he stared at the boring coat color.


End file.
